FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
February 21, 2011	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #:  1:11-cr-00081 LJO

FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that John Anthony Baca, 44, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to 10 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for receiving and sharing child pornography.

According to court documents, Baca was found to have received and shared more than 600 sexually explicit images of prepubescent minors in both video and still-image format. He pleaded guilty to this charge on November 14, 2011.

“All children have an absolute right to grow up free from the fear of being sexually exploited,” said Michael Toms, resident agent in charge of HSI Bakersfield. “While this sentence cannot repair the permanent damage done to the children depicted in these images, it should serve as a warning to those who engage in this behavior: HSI and our partners will be relentless in our pursuit of online predators.”
This case was the result of an extensive investigation by the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, specifically the Bakersfield U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Brian W. Enos prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.

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